Vancouver couple pleads for help to identify hit-and-run driver who killed their dog

A Vancouver couple has been left devastated after their beloved dog was killed in a hit-and-run.

Michael Rush and Becca McMeekin are hoping for the public’s help to identify the driver, who also hit McNeekin, leaving her with minor injuries to her left shoulder.

McNeekin said she and their one-and-a-half-year-old Corgi-Pomeranian cross Tobi were out for a walk to get groceries on Saturday, Aug, 20th.

“We were taking a long route so we could just get some exercise,” she said, and added they were crossing the intersection at East Pender Street and Garden Drive just before 1 p.m. when a dark-coloured SUV came around the corner, hitting McMeekin and running over Tobi, who was on a leash.

“He looked at me and I was screaming for him to stop, and he just sped down the street,” McMeekin said. “He just left us there.”

Rush said he arrived on scene to find McMeekin surrounded by neighbours at the corner, and Tobi’s body covered with a blanket on the sidewalk.

“She made life really magical and since we’ve lost her, we just feel grief and sadness,” he said. “Every moment with her felt like the most exciting time, because she was always so excited to be around us and with us and doing things with us.”

Surveillance video from the area shows the suspect vehicle, believed to be a grey Jeep Patriot, travelling on East Hastings Street before the collision.

Rush said the intersection where the hit and run occurred is a route people use to avoid traffic on East Hastings Street.

“Unfortunately because of that, we lost the most adventurous and exciting part of our lives, and the thing we loved the most,” he said. “In addition to finding the driver, we would really like to ask city hall to have better traffic control in our neighbourhood, which is full of schools.”

Vancouver Police Const. Jason Doucette said it is a common route for people who are familiar with the area to try and beat traffic at the busy intersection of Nanaimo and East Hastings Street.

“The vehicle didn’t stop, he didn’t get out to check on the dog, to check on the woman. He just simply continued on eastbound towards Nanaimo (Street.) That’s the last direction we have,” he said. “If you happen to recognize the SUV or the driver, even if you think it may be that person, please give our investigators a call.”

McMeekin said they held a memorial for Tobi in the neighbourhood, where many friends came to say good-bye.

“She used to travel with me. We spent every day together,” McMeekin said. “She was so happy.”

Anyone with information can contact the Vancouver Police Department's Hit-and-Run Section at [phone], or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-4477. 

Police want to identify the driver of this vehicle. (Vancouver police handout)